On Feb. 14, Illinois State Rep. Larry McKeon, D-Chicago, was called to testify in the corruption trial of former governor George Ryan—an experience the openly gay congressman classified as 'very interesting.'
'Having no knowledge of [ Ryan's ] conduct, I only testified regarding my professional relationship with the governor,' McKeon told Windy City Times.
'I talked about several issues, including healthcare, the death penalty, human rights, HIV/AIDS and lesbian health issues. He has been really supportive of LGBT issues; he gave $1.5 million to Center on Halsted—which has [ mushroomed ] into $6 million.' McKeon also said that he talked about how easy Ryan was to reach: 'I've worked with three governors and Ryan was, by far, the most accessible. He's been the only one to return my calls, and sometimes he did it on the same day [ that I called him ] .'
McKeon, who is currently running for re-election, also mentioned an intriguing fact: His testimony took place solely in front of the judge. 'After a lengthy sidebar, the judge decided to have me testify without the jury being present,' he stated. McKeon also noted that the unique condition could be detrimental to the former governor: 'I'm withholding judgment but it seems that Ryan could be hurt if the jury doesn't get to hear testimony about someone having a positive working relationship with him.'
In a 22-count racketeering and fraud indictment, Ryan is charged with allowing businessman friend Larry Warner to fix secretary of state documents in exchange for cash and other perks while lying to FBI agents.